Nick Friedell, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Keeping his cool tough for Noah vs. Kings

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Joakim Noah was about to lose it -- again.

WIth 4:30 left in the third quarter in the Chicago Bulls' loss to the Sacramento Kings, Noah couldn't believe he was called for a foul on Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins. It was a "ticky-tack foul," as Noah called it. The whistle set off a tantrum that had the emotional Bulls center jumping around the floor and almost instantly picking up a technical foul.

For the second straight season at the Sleep Train Arena, Noah was on the verge of being ejected from a game. Last season produced arguably the most emotional outburst of Noah's career, in which he cursed at all three officials and was fined $15,000 for "verbal abuse" of the officials.

But on Thursday night, in front of a nationally televised audience, Noah was able to keep those emotions in check. He was taken out of the game and marched straight to the bench to cool himself down. It was a smart move on a night when the Bulls struggled to find any offense after the first quarter.

"Yeah, s---- two years in a row [being ejected] wouldn't have been good," Noah said. "Just disappointing that we lost and -- I got to keep my cool."

For the first time all season, the Bulls looked emotionally rattled in front of a packed house. This was the third straight year they've lost to the Kings in Sacramento and it seems like several Bulls players, not just Noah, got spooked by a fan base that appears to be revitalized by a new ownership group and a better team.

"We have a lot of emotional guys, but we do have to control that," said Jimmy Butler, who led the Bulls with 23 points. "But it's tough, there's a lot of emotion in this game and it happens at times. You can't be mad at that. But we got to control it better next time."

Noah just wants to keep everything simple.

"Just breathe," he said of the mindset he takes to reign his emotions back in. "You have to breathe and think about the big picture. It's a lot harder said than done. Just breathe. Have positive thoughts."

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau knows that's a fine line to straddle for Noah and the rest of his team. Like his players, the veteran coach didn't agree with many of the calls made by the officials, but that's all part of what the Bulls have to deal with as they continue on this two-week road trip.

"Jo's an emotional guy," Thibodeau said. "You don't want to take that away from him. You're on the road, you're not going to get calls. It is physical out there. It's just the way it is. There's some frustration to deal with, but we still got to find a way to pull that out in the end."

Even Noah had to praise the way the Kings have started coming together as a group this season.

"They're a good team," Noah said. "They're a very good team. They play hard at home. I think that they're starting to build something over here. Defensively they're better. DeMarcus is a lot better. He's playing more efficiently. … Sometimes he gets frustrated and that works in our favor. But I feel like this year he's the one getting guys frustrated, and it's worked for them so we'll see them again.

"We'll see them again at home and we'll be ready for that one, but you can tell there's been a lot of growing on his side as a player."

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